Social Deviance

SOCIAL DEVIANCE

BY: KEVIN MCCAUGHTRY

LET'S SIT RIGHT BACK AND HEAR A TALE, A TALE OF A FATEFUL TRIP, THAT STARTED ON THIS DESERT ISLE, ON THIS TINY SHIP.... WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF AFLOAT IN THIS OCEAN OF PEOPLE, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO KICK UP A STORM AND CAPSIZE. FOR AN ENTIRE DAY I WAS A ONE MAN TROPICAL DEPRESSION. MY PARTNER AND I WANDERED AROUND TOWN WITH ONLY A GOAL OF INVADING OTHERS' PERSONAL SPACE. THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WE CROWDED PEOPLE AT PAYPHONES, SAT NEXT TO PEOPLE ON PARK BENCHES, SNUGGLED UP TO SINGLE RIDERS ON ELEVATORS, BROKE THE LAW OF URINAL ETIQUETTE ABD GENERALLY ANNOYED PEOPLE IN A LIBRARY. WITH THE PAYPHONE WE MADE THE INITIAL DECISION TO ALTERNATE, MY PARTNER BEING FEMALE AND I MALE, TO ALSO SEE THE DIFFERENCE RESPONSES TO MALE VS. FEMALE INTRUSION. WE WOULD ALTERNATELY WALK UP TO AND STAND BESIDE THE KIOSK OR BOOTH. WE MADE A DRAMATIC DEMONSTRATION OF NOT LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION BY DIGGING THROUGH PURSE OR WALLET OR TOEING AROUND SOME IMAGINARY OBJECT ON THE GROUND. ON PARK BENCHES WE USED THE SAME IDEA. WE ONLY STUCK OURSELVES INTO THE SITUATION IF THERE WAS ONLY A SOLO RIDER AND ENOUGH ROOM FOR US TO HAVE STOOD A DISTANCE AWAY. CROWDING SOMEONE IN AN EMPTY 10' X 8' ELEVATOR OR PLOPPING DOWN NEXT TO SOMEONE ON A PARK BENCH SURROUNDED BY FOUR TO FIVE EMPTY BENCHES SEEMED TO SHOW THE MOST DRAMATIC RESPONSE. WE DECIDED THAT THE RULES NORMALLY ADHERED TO IN A LIBRARY SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE DEFINITION OF PERSONAL SPACE, JUST THAT THE SPACE HAD BEEN EXPANDED IN SIZE AND WIDENED TO INCLUDED SOUND PRODUCED BY ANOTHER. MY PARTNER SET HER CELL PHONE AND PAGER IN FRONT OF HER O A TABLE, SLID HER HEADPHONES INTO PLACE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO IGNORE BOTH AND SAT THERE. I MOVED TO THE STACK AREA AND CALLED HER PAGER AND PHONE REPEATEDLY. THE MOST QUESTIONABLE WAYS TO TEST PERSONAL SPACE WERE MINE, ASSUMING THEY WERE ALSO THE EASIEST TO DRAW VIOLENCE. I SPENT AN HOUR INSIDE THE THE WALK IN LOBBY OF A BANK IN THE DAYLIGHT AND AGAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT GETTING WHAT WAS EVIDENTLY TOO CLOSE TO PEOPLE USING ATM MACHINES. THE LAST DEVIANT ACT WITHIN THE REALM OF PERSONAL SPACE WAS DONE ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. WITHIN A BANK OF SEVEN URINALS IN A RESTROOM, I WAITED FOR ONE TO BE USED (THE FAR RIGHT WAS PICKED), THEN MOVED TO THE SECOND FROM THE RIGHT. STILL STARING STRAIGHT AHEAD, AS IS EXPECTED, I GOT A BASICALLY UNAPPROVING RESPONSE. THE DEVIANCE OF THESE ACTS ARE BASED ON THE THEORY OF PERSONAL SPACE, OR THE DISTANCE ONE PERSON CAN BE FROM ANOTHER WITH BOTH STILL FEELING COMFORTABLE. WITHIN THE THEORY, THE AREA OF THE PERSONAL SPACE CHANGES WITH CHANGES IN TIME OF DAY AND SITUATION. IT MUST FIRST BE UNDERSTOOD THAT PERSONAL SPACE DOESN'T MAKE A PERFECT CIRCLE AROUND AN INDIVIDUAL. IT FORMS MORE OF AN EGG SHAPE OR ELLIPSE WITH THE LONGEST DISTANCE FRO THE CENTER BEING TO THE PERSON'S FRONT. THE SIZE OF THE ELLIPSE MAY SHRINK IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS IS EXPECTED OR GROW IN PERSONAL ASPECTS OF THE DAY SUCH AS N THE CONTROL OF MONEY AT ATM'S OR USE OF THE BATHROOM. THE THEORY OF PROXEMICS IS USED THROUGHOUT THE EXPERIMENT. PROXEMICS DEFINES THE AREA OF PERSONAL SPACE AND EXTRAPOLATES IT'S GROWTH AND SHRINK THROUGH ALL SITUATIONS FROM ONE ON ONE TO SOCIAL GROUPINGS. TO MAKE THIS EASIER TO NOTE EACH TRESPASS IN SOMEONE'S PERSONAL SPACE WILL BE DESCRIBED SEPERATELY. THE FIRST TRANSGRESSION INVOLVED PHONE BOOTHS AND KIOSKS. MY PARTNER AND I EACH WANDERED INTO THE PERSONAL SPACE OF MALE THEN FEMALE SUBJECT. WE TOOK CARE TO MAKE IT OBVIOUS THAT WE WERE NOT WAITING TO USE THE PHONE. BY KICKING ROCKS OR LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ON THE GROUND WE SUCCESSFULLY WANDERED INTO OTHERS SPACE. WHETHER IT WAS THE FEAR OF EAVESDROPPING OR THE THEORY OF PROXEMICS ACTING IS UNKNOWN. EACH OF THE FOUR PEOPLE HAD SIMILAR RESPONSES WITH TURNING AWAY OR STOPPING TALK ALTOGETHER. THE LENGTH OF THE PHONE CORD RESTRAINED THE SUBJECTS FRO MOVING FAR BUT THEIR ORIENTATION IN RESPECT TO US CHANGED WITH EACH OF OUR MOVES. IT SEEMED THAT EACH OF THE SUBJECTS WERE TURNING TO KEEP US OUTSIDE OF THEIR PERSONAL SPACE BY TURNING AWAY FROM US. THE PARK BENCH EXPERIMENT WAS A LAST MINUTE ADDITION AND WAS LESS PLANNED. WE INTENDED TO FIND A LARGE GROUP OF PARK BENCHES AND ONLY SIT IF ONLY ONE PERSON OCCUPIED ONE OF THE BENCHES. WE EXPECTED SOME LEANING AWAY FROM US AND A COVERT GLANCE